Falling Slowly
by tikvarn
Summary: Life moves forward after the season finale. Post 1.13 Takedown.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Back with the next chapter fic! This one is set after 1.13 Takedown. It is based around the lyrics from one of my absolute favorite songs, "Falling Slowly." It's not necessary for understanding the story, but if you haven't listened to it, I would highly suggest it! I hope you guys enjoy this story! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or the rights to the song "Falling Slowly", which was written and performe__d by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová._

**Chapter 1: I Don't Know You**

_I don't know you_

_But I want you_

_All the more for that_

Jerry stepped through the door of the Penny and quickly scanned the room before making his way over to the bar. "Hey McNally," he said, "Callaghan wanted me to tell you that he was running late."

Andy gave him a confused glance as he took his coat off and sat down next to her. "Okay," she replied with a shrug, "Well Traci wanted me to tell you that she was running late too. She'll be here soon though."

"Guess it's just you and me for now," Jerry said, signaling the bartender over. "You want something?" He asked.

Andy held up the beer that she was drinking. "I got an early start," she said without apology.

"Long day?" He asked.

Andy nodded slowly; unsure of why Jerry had chosen to sit next to her, why he was engaging her in conversation. They weren't exactly friends. "Long week," she corrected warily.

The bartender set Jerry's drink in front of him and he picked it up and swirled it before taking a sip. The alcohol burned on the way down and he cleared his throat before agreeing, "Yeah, it has been."

Andy took a sip of her beer before cutting her eyes over to him again. He was sitting there, casually drinking his scotch and acting like the whole exchange was completely normal.

_Whatever, _she decided, turning her attention back to her beer. She should have started with something stronger.

"I know it's been a couple of days," Jerry said, interrupting her thoughts. "But you did really good with the UC thing. Great actually."

"Thanks," Andy said crisply, staring down at the counter of the bar.

Jerry nodded, "I should probably apologize for what I said before." She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "About the hooker detail?"

"It's okay," Andy conceded with a wave of her hand. "I was pretty terrible."

"Well, you made up for it."

"I guess I'm not completely useless," Andy replied, a bite to her words.

Jerry looked over at her, surprised by her tone. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You didn't think I could handle the undercover op. You didn't think I could handle interviewing Rebecca's mom." Andy turned on her stool to look at him. Maybe it was the alcohol that was already in her system or maybe it was just that the week was catching up with her. Either way, she decided not to mince her words. "You haven't exactly been my biggest fan."

Jerry laughed humorlessly and then pursed his full lips. "I could say the same thing about you. You don't like me very much, do you?"

"It's not that I don't like you," Andy said, getting to what she knew he was talking about, "It's just that Traci's giving up a lot to be with you again." She narrowed her eyes at him, "I hope it's worth it. I don't want to see my friend get hurt."

The sound of the door opening got both of their attentions and they looked over to see Sam enter the bar. He glanced around and when he saw the two of them sitting together he shot them a slightly confused smile, darting his eyes back and forth between them. Jerry nodded over at him and held up his glass in acknowledgment. Sam just shrugged before heading to sit with Oliver and Noelle.

"That's understandable," Jerry said, addressing Andy, watching as her eyes followed Sam's movements across the crowded bar. "But I guess could say the same thing. I don't want to see my friend get hurt either."

Andy tore her eyes away from her partner to look back at Jerry. "Oh?"

"I hear you're moving in with Callaghan."

"I didn't realize you and Luke were friends," Andy said.

Jerry shook his head. "We aren't."

"So...?"

"He wasn't who I was referring to." Jerry said, tipping his glass pointedly.

Andy eyes swept in the direction he was pointing and landed on Sam. She watched as he laughed at something Oliver said, the smile breaking the tension that had tightened his features lately. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said after a moment. "Sam and I are friends."

"See, that's exactly why I don't trust you."

Andy whipped her head around to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"You either can't see what's right in front of you or you choose to ignore it," Jerry told her. "Either way, its not exactly stunning police work."

She shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm with Luke. Sam's fine with it."

"Have you told him about your soon-to-be living arrangements?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "I just haven't had the chance."

"You guys rode together today," he pointed out.

She shrugged, looking down. "It didn't come up."

"Want to know what I think?" Jerry asked.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me," Andy said, taking a sip of her beer. Jerry didn't respond right away and eventually she looked over at him.

He caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "I think you're afraid to tell him."

"Well, you're wrong," Andy replied. "I'm not afraid to tell him. Besides, he's not going to care."

It was a lie. He absolutely was going to care, and she knew it.

"Let me ask you this McNally," Jerry said, slightly condescendingly, "Are you always this naïve?"

"Are you always this much of an asshole?" She retorted quickly.

"Yes," he stated plainly.

Andy shook her head, agitated. She caught his gaze and narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to figure out how to respond. "Well," Andy said, taking a long pull of her beer, "For someone who's so concerned about me hurting their friend, you really do a stellar job of it yourself."

It was Jerry's turn to be offended. "Excuse me?"

"You're one to talk about not hurting him," she accused. "Rebecca Lee?"

"What about her?"

"You don't think it hurt him that you kept second guessing him?" Andy asked, on a roll. "That you fought him on every decision he made? That you didn't trust him? That you brought in _Luke _of all people?"

Jerry's shoulders slumped slightly. "You talked to him about that?"

"No, he never said anything about it," Andy said, shaking her head. "But maybe I know Sam better than you think I do."

"Sammy's a big boy McNally," Jerry said, "It was just work. He can handle it."

"I know he can," she said, "That doesn't mean that you weren't a jackass."

Jerry's eyes widened. "Are we name-calling now? Because I can think up a few names for you."

Andy took a deep breath. "No, sorry." She signaled the bartender and held up her empty bottle, requesting another one.

"I know about the blackout Andy," Jerry told her.

"Of course you do," Andy said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure Sam had some choice words for me."

"Sam wasn't the one that told me," Jerry said, "He wouldn't do that."

Andy thought for a moment, "Traci?"

Jerry just nodded.

"Perfect," Andy said as the bartended handed her another beer. She took a long pull from it before looking over at him.

"Believe it or not," Jerry said, his tone softening, "I didn't sit down here to argue with you."

Andy snorted. "Could have fooled me."

"I read over Ricky's statement from the other night today," he told her, "I know what you did."

Andy remained silent, staring down at the drink that was in her hands.

"It was a big risk you took, walking out while he was pointing a gun at you."

"He was too scared to do anything," Andy asserted with false confidence. "Besides, Sam's my partner. He would have done the same thing."

Jerry nodded, "In a second."

Andy sighed and took a sip of her beer. "What's your point?"

Jerry turned to Andy. "Sammy not only would have done what you did, he would take a bullet for you any day of the week. And if you think that's just because you're his partner, you obviously don't know Sam as well as you think you do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said for the second time that night.

"Yes you do," Jerry challenged.

Andy looked down and cleared her throat. "Has he said something to you?"

"No. But I'm a detective Andy," Jerry told her, "I'm pretty good at finding out things people don't want me to know."

Andy looked over at Sam who was talking with Noelle. He took a sip of his beer and glanced over at her, catching her staring at him. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed but he just grinned cockily at her from across the bar.

She just gave him a small smile in return, before turning her eyes away.

"Look, Andy," Jerry said, observing the exchange. "Despite what you may think, Sam's my best friend. He's the most stubborn person that I know, but he's also the most loyal. He makes a decision and he sticks with it."

Andy nodded, agreeing with his assessment.

"And for some reason he's decided to sit on the sidelines," Jerry said, "And for the life of me, I can't figure out why."

"Maybe its not what you think," Andy said. "Maybe you're wrong."

"Maybe," He conceded. "But I don't think I am. If he knew I was telling you this, I'm pretty sure he'd kick my ass. In fact, I'm certain he would."

"So why are you telling me?"

Jerry shrugged. "I'm tired of seeing him get hurt."

"I'm with Luke," Andy protested weakly.

"I know." Jerry said.

"He's a good guy," she said.

"I'm not saying he's not." Jerry said, "I don't have the answers for you Andy."

"Well thanks so much for your help," Andy said sarcastically.

"Look, it's pretty obvious that you're just as stubborn as Sam is and for some reason you've chosen Callaghan. Why you're fighting like hell to make it work with him is beyond me," he said, "but it's none of my business."

"You're right, it is none of your business," Andy said indignantly, "None of this is."

Jerry rolled his eyes, "Please. You never hesitate to get involved in my relationship with Traci, don't act so superior."

About that time, the door to the bar swung open and Traci walked in. She scanned the room and when she found them she smiled and began pushing her way over to them.

"If you want to act like there's not something between the two of you," Jerry said quickly, before Traci reached them, "Then that's your business. But just know that you're only seeing what you want to see. And you better tell him about moving in with Callaghan soon, before he finds out from someone else."

Traci made it over to them and planted a kiss on Jerry's cheek. "Hey guys," she said, grinning widely. "What did I miss?"

Andy was reeling from their conversation so she could do little more than smile while Jerry hooked his arm around Traci's waist and tugged her close. "McNally and I were just talking. You want a drink?"

She shook her head. "We need to go pick up Leo."

Jerry nodded and stood up from his seat. "Andy," he said with a smile, "It was nice talking to you."

Andy fought to keep her expression pleasant. "You too. Goodnight guys," she called after them as Jerry led Traci away with a hand on the small of her back.

Traci turned back to her friend, "Goodnight!"

Andy watched them leave before shifting her attention over to Sam. Her head was still spinning from what Jerry had told her, what he had insinuated, but she tried to push it away. She knew Sam. She knew that they were just friends.

Sure, it'd been a little disarming how naturally she had slipped into the role of Edie. To pretend to be his girlfriend, the woman that he loved. To be the woman that loved him. Maybe the words had come just a little too easily when she had been trying to sell their relationship to Angel.

And maybe when he'd kissed her it felt more like Sam saying goodbye to Andy than Gabe saying goodbye to Edie.

But they were undercover. It was all just an act. One that they were very good at.

Besides, he had been the one to push her back to Luke every time she voiced a doubt about their relationship.

And yet, she still hadn't been able to tell him about moving in with Luke. Couldn't quite bring herself to do it.

She watched as Sam listened with rapt attention to Oliver as he regaled them with a story from his day, undoubtedly about how Epstein had screwed something up. His eyes twinkled with amusement, either from the story or the way Oliver was telling it. When she noticed the way his t-shirt pulled over the muscles of his back when he crossed his arms in front of his chest she made herself look away, only to look right back a couple of seconds later. Sam laughed at something and shook his head, catching her eye.

He cocked an eyebrow at her and one side of her mouth tugged upwards into a half smile that didn't reach her eyes. His brow furrowed and, discerning that something was wrong, he nodded to Noelle and Oliver before excusing himself and making his way over to her.

"McNally," he greeted, sitting down next to her.

She turned in her seat to face him, smiling. "Sam."

"Everything okay?"

"Yep, fine," she lied.

His forehead creased like it always did when she said something he didn't quite believe. "You and Jerry seemed to be deep in conversation over here."

She shrugged. "We were just talking."

"Oh." Sam grabbed her bottle and took a swig from it, winking at her in the process.

She wrinkled her nose and took it back from him. "Hey, that's mine."

"I just wanted a sip," he protested with a grin. "I didn't even put my lips on it."

Almost unconsciously Andy found herself looking down at his lips, the lips that had been on her own just a couple days before. She swiped her tongue across her bottom lip before catching it between her teeth.

Sam noticed but refrained from saying anything, just coughed to get her attention. He smirked as her eyes flew up to meet his. "Where's Callaghan?"

"He should be here any minute," Andy said, glancing towards the door. "Jerry said he was running late."

Sam nodded and then raised an eyebrow as the door swung open. "Speak of the devil…" he said, watching as Callaghan entered the bar.

Callaghan saw the two of them sitting together and smiled tightly. "Sammy," he greeted coolly when he reached them.

Sam fought to keep from rolling his eyes. He _hated_ when Callaghan called him Sammy. "Callaghan," he said, returning the greeting. "How's it going?"

"Good," Luke said, dipping his head down to kiss Andy.

Andy kept her eyes open when Luke kissed her and knew she didn't imagine seeing the warmth leave Sam's brown eyes at the display of affection. The way his face fell slightly, almost imperceptibly, caused her stomach to twist.

Maybe Jerry was a better detective than she gave him credit for.

"Luke," she said quietly, gently pushing the blonde man away from her. "You ready to go?"

He nodded swiftly. "Yep." He helped her shrug her coat on and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"See ya, Sammy," Luke called with his back already to the other man.

This time Sam did roll his eyes, an action that Andy didn't miss. "Goodnight, Sam," she said before allowing herself to be led away.

"See you tomorrow McNally," He replied, raising his hand in a slight wave.

Luke pushed the door open and before she stepped through it she glanced back to see Sam sitting by himself, holding his hand up to get the bartender's attention.

Shaking her head, she stepped out into the cold night's air and made her way over to Luke's car. Just when she thought they were finally getting things worked out, finally settling into comfortable roles in each other's life, stupid Jerry had to come along and say…

Well, say everything that he had said.

Maybe he was right; maybe she was being naïve, seeing only what she wanted to see.

Maybe she didn't know Sam as well as she thought she did.

She didn't want to admit it, but that thought alone scared her and excited her all at the same time.

"Andy?" She heard Luke say, interrupting her thoughts. "You okay?"

She realized that he was standing there with her door held open, a puzzled expression on his face. Giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile she replied, "Yep, great," and slipped into the car.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Wow! Thank you all so much for the incredible reviews. I know I say this all the time, but it remains true as ever… it means so much to me that you take the time to review and let me know what you think about the story! Sorry it took me a little longer to update than normal! It's taken me awhile (and a couple of rewrites) to get this chapter just like I wanted it. I hope you all enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or the song "Falling Slowly," which was written and performed by __Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. _

**Chapter 2: Words Fall Through Me**

_Words fall through me_

_And always fool me_

_And I can't react_

"It's going to storm tonight," Sam announced out of the nowhere. They had been riding together in relative silence since leaving the station earlier that morning, only speaking to make small talk and discuss their orders for the day.

It would have been an easy silence, one that was not unusual for them after riding together for so long, had Andy not been trying to figure out how to bring up the whole moving in with Luke situation. Since her conversation with Jerry the evening before it was the only thing she had been able to think about. She'd asked Luke to take her home after leaving the Penny, claiming that she didn't felt well, and had proceeded to spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, wrestling over every little detail of their conversation.

She knew it wasn't normal behavior for someone who was about to move in with one person to spend so much time obsessing about another person.

But Sam was her partner, and she cared about him… in a strictly platonic, close work relationship kind of way. Or at least that's what she told herself. She just needed to get the words out there, she rationalized, and then everything would be okay. She could stop worrying about it and could move on.

And yet as easy as it should have been to tell her friend that she was moving in with her boyfriend, every time she started to do it she'd get half a syllable out and he'd looked over at her with those brown eyes of his and she'd lose her nerve.

It was really getting to be ridiculous.

At Sam's comment, Andy shot him a questioning look across the squad car. "Okay Captain Random."

Sam smirked at her before responding. "Look at the sky," he said, pointing out the window, "It's red."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Andy asked, craning her head to look up at the clouds.

"It's something my mom used to say," he told her. "Red sky at night, sailors' delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky means it's going to storm tonight."

"Hmm," Andy mused, leaning back into her seat. "I've never heard that before."

"Of course it could be the city's pollution making it be that color," Sam reasoned.

"I guess we'll see tonight," Andy said, fidgeting with her hands.

Sam looked over at his partner and furrowed his brow. She'd been acting odd that morning. Jumpy, like she was anxious about something. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Andy said, cutting her eyes over to him and sitting up slightly, "Why?"

"No reason," Sam assured. He saw her visibly relax back into her seat and knew that something had to be up. He paused only a moment before asking, "Look McNally, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Andy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the inevitable conversation to come. He must have found out from someone else, she reasoned, certain of what he was about to ask her about. She opened her eyes and looked over at him. "What's that?"

His flicked his eyes over to meet hers before looking out to the road again. "Are you…" he started, hesitating, "Are you sleeping at night? I mean, are you having any trouble sleeping?"

Andy sighed in relief at the unexpected question. "Um, yeah," she answered, "I'm sleeping fine, I guess. Why?"

Sam cleared his throat, "It's just… the first few times I did an undercover op I had trouble sleeping for a while," he confessed, "And I know things got pretty intense the other night so I just…." He shrugged his shoulder, "You know, wanted to check."

"Oh," Andy stuttered, "No, no, I'm fine."

"Okay," Sam said, not pushing the subject.

There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence before Andy spoke, "Thanks for asking."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he admitted. Andy's eyes flew over to meet his, surprised at the sincerity in his voice. Sam glanced over at her and caught her gaze before blinking away and amending, "I mean, I know I'm not your training officer anymore but it still feels like my responsibility."

Andy nodded, slightly deflated. Of course he wasn't actually going to admit that he cared about her on a personal level. Jerry had to be wrong. "Oh yeah, of course."

Sam gave her a quick smile, which she returned with an uneasy one of her own.

Andy knew she needed to be the one to tell him, knew he deserved at least that. Deciding to go ahead and get it over with, she turned in her seat to face him. "Sam," she started, hesitantly, "There's actually something that I need to tell you."

He raised an eyebrow, "What it is it?"

Just as she was about to tell him, the radio crackled on, "All units stand by. We've got a B and E in progress at 585 East Montgomery." The dispatcher continued with more information, "The homeowner heard the intruder break a window in the basement and ran to neighbor's home, where he placed the emergency call."

Sam glanced over at Andy and she spoke into the radio while turning on the lights and sirens, "1505, we're on route."

Sam picked up speed as they headed towards the home, weaving between cars that failed to get out of the way. "What'd you want to talk to me about McNally?"

Andy definitely did not want to tell him then, while he was speeding through traffic, especially if he was going to react in the way she feared he would. She shook her head, "It's not really that important," she told him. "We can talk about it later."

He just shrugged and turned his attention back to the road.

They had been the first arriving officers to the scene and, because the homeowner was not in the house and therefore was not in imminent danger, had to wait for backup to arrive before going inside. They ended up entering just in time to see the intruder climbing through a downstairs' window and Sam was able to pull him to the ground and handcuff him before he could get away.

Sam and Andy stayed at the scene long enough to help with the preliminary investigation and then returned to the station with the suspect. They got him processed and then took him to the interview room to question him. Sam did most of the talking and Andy watched as he got the man to confess to a string of burglaries that had taken place in the same area over the past couple of months.

"That was pretty impressive," Andy said after they had returned the man to his cell.

"What was?" Sam asked gruffly, sitting down at his computer.

"The way you got him talking," Andy expounded, taking her seat across from him. "For someone who doesn't open up very well you have a knack for getting other people to do it."

"It's part of the job," Sam told her humbly, "Find out what buttons to push and then keep going at it. Play to the person's insecurities. They're just words, McNally, you have to figure out how to use them to your advantage." He paused and leaned to the side so he could see her around the computer. "And I open up plenty well."

Andy laughed. "Oh, okay," she sarcastically agreed. She clicked around on her computer until she brought up the report form and began working on it. Sam appeared to be deep in concentration on his own work across the desk from her.

They had been working steadily for maybe fifteen minutes when Andy looked up to see Jerry walking through the squad room. He caught her eye and raised an eyebrow before pointedly looking at Sam, his question obvious.

Andy shook her head slightly, letting him know that no, she hadn't told him yet. Jerry's eyes widened in disbelief before he narrowed them at her and she knew exactly what he was imploring her to do.

Andy looked away from Jerry and back at her computer, effectively ignoring him and his beseeching eyes.

"Is he bugging you?" Sam's deep voice broke the silence that had settled between them.

Andy jumped at his voice. "Who?"

Sam peered around his computer to look at her. "Jerry."

"No," Andy laughed nervously, "What makes you think that?"

"McNally, don't tell me I made up that little exchange I just witnessed," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And last night after you guys talked at the Penny… you were shaken up about something."

Damn Sam and his intuitiveness that kicked up at the most inopportune times.

Andy sighed. This wasn't exactly how she'd planned for this to happen, but so far nothing else had worked. "It's actually about what I needed to tell you."

"Is everything okay?" He asked, concern evident in his voice, which only served to make her feel that much guiltier.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she assured quickly. She swallowed hard before blurting out, "I'm moving in with Luke."

She saw something flash through Sam's eyes and he stared at her for a brief moment before looking back to his computer. "Oh." He said simply, emotionlessly. She saw the way his features tightened, his cheekbones becoming more prominent as his jaw line sharpened.

"Oh?" She repeated, slightly put out. That was all he had to say?

"What do you want me to say McNally," he asked, his tone bored, "Congratulations?"

Even though it was the reaction she had least expected, it should have been the one she anticipated. Of course Sam was going to shut down and act indifferent.

"No," she said, "I just thought that maybe we should talk about it."

"You and Callaghan are shacking up," Sam said, still not looking at her. "Doesn't seem like there's that much to talk about."

"Okay," she said quietly, turning back to her computer.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long ago did you decide this?"

Andy squeezed her eyes closed before admitting, "About a week ago."

"And you're just now telling me?"

"Yeah," she replied, simply. "I'm sorry."

"So when we were undercover," Sam asked slowly, "When we were Gabe and Edie, you were already planning on moving in with him?"

There was so much more behind his question than just those words. Andy nodded slowly and then realized that Sam couldn't see her. "Yes."

She heard him inhale sharply before clearing his throat. "What does Jerry have to do with anything?" Sam asked.

"I told Traci about it and I guess he found out from her. He just wanted to make sure I was the one that told you," Andy confessed. "He was worried you'd find out from someone else."

"That's what you were talking about last night?"

"Yes."

"Friggin' Jerry," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Don't be upset with him," Andy said, "He was just worried about you."

Sam finally moved from behind his computer to look at her. His dark eyes were vacant, the warmth that she normally found there gone. "Why would he be worried about me?"

"Sam…" Andy said, hoping to convey without words what she wanted him to hear.

"What?" He asked sharply, the first sign of emotion his voice since she told him.

Andy sighed and looked at him, holding his gaze. Stubborn as always, he didn't break eye contact with her, just raised an eyebrow. "You know why," she said.

Just as Sam was about to respond Noelle sat down at the desk next to Andy, effectively silencing his comeback.

Sensing the tense atmosphere she had walked into, Noelle looked back and forth between Andy and Sam before asking, "Did I interrupt something?"

"Nope," Sam said quickly, harshly. "McNally and I are finished." With a final hard look at Andy he shifted his gaze back to his computer.

"Okay…" Noelle said, her tone indicating she knew more was going on than he was admitting.

Andy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Had Noelle not been sitting there she would have demanded to know exactly what he meant by that, knowing the words were directed more at her than at Noelle.

She sat frozen in her seat until Sam spoke up. "Can you go get me that report from booking?" Sam asked without looking at her, "I need it to fill this out."

Andy stared at him for a moment, incredulous that he was acting as if nothing had happened. "Fine," she snapped, standing up in a huff and pushing her chair under her desk with more force than necessary. It made a small, unsatisfying thump as Andy stomped away.

"Pansy ass," Noelle muttered, just loud enough for Sam to hear.

"What was that?" He asked, glancing over at her from his computer.

"You heard me," Noelle said, fixing him with a stern look. "You don't want her to move in with Callaghan and you need to stop being such a pansy ass about it and tell her."

"That's not..." Sam started, shaking his head.

Noelle interrupted him. "Sam, how long have we known each other?"

He coughed. "Fifteen years, give or take."

Noelle nodded, "And in that time, have I ever given you the impression that it would be a good idea to insult my intelligence?"

Sam pursed his lips but conceded, "No."

"Good, I'm glad we agree. Now," Noelle said, leaning in closer to Sam, "Don't pretend like I don't know exactly what was going on here."

"Even if I cared, which I don't, there's nothing I can do about it if she wants to move in with him," Sam said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I thought we agreed it wasn't a good idea to insult my intelligence," Noelle said. "You're in love with the girl, don't act like you're not." Sam rolled his eyes and started to say something but Noelle cut him off, "And if you had seen the way she came tearing out of the Mermaid Lounge the other night, you would know that she felt the same way."

Sam just shook his head. "She was worried about me because I'm her partner."

"Honey…" Noelle said, cocking an eyebrow and grinning at him, "Did you see those hooker boots she was wearing? Only a woman in love would attempt to run in those things." Sam chuckled as he tried to picture Andy running in the tall boots. "You need to tell her Sam."

"It's not that simple," he said quietly, darting his eyes around the squad room, looking anywhere except at Noelle.

Noelle waited until his eyes finally landed back on her before shrugging. "How do you know if you don't try?"

Sam sighed loudly before squeezing his eyes closed and pinching the bridge of his nose. After thinking for a moment he opened his eyes and glanced over at Noelle one last time before pushing away from the desk and standing up.

Noelle winked at him, "Go get her."

"Thanks Noelle," Sam muttered before heading off in the direction he had sent Andy in.

He found her storming back from booking with the file he had requested in her hand. Sam quickly moved in front of her to block her path and she came to a halt just before bumping into him. "Andy…" he started.

"I'm busy," She snapped, purposely striding around him. Before he could think about it, Sam reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving any further away from him. She looked down at the hand on her arm and then back up to him, meeting his dark eyes with a glare. "Let go of me."

Sam almost faltered, almost let her go, but instead he shook his head. "No," he said, resolutely. "We're going to talk about this." He swept his eyes up and down the hallway, trying to determine where they could go for some privacy. They settled on the door to the interview viewing room at the end of the hallway.

"Over here," he said, pulling on her arm as he led her over to the room.

"You made yourself very clear," Andy said, wrenching her arm away from him. She spun around and started to walk away from him before his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"McNally," he called, his voice almost cracking with sincerity. "Andy, please."

She turned back around to face him and crossed her arms in front of her. He pushed the door open and motioned for her to enter. "Please," he repeated, this time with more determination.

Andy sighed but after a tense moment relented, uncrossing her arms and walking over to him. She stepped through the door he held open and he followed her into the room, locking the door behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! I am so glad you guys have been enjoying the story! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or the song "Falling Slowly," which was written and performed by __Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. _

**Chapter 3: The Games We Play**

_And games that never amount_

_To more than they're meant_

_Will play themselves out_

Andy walked through the door and took a couple of steps into the room before turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. She watched as Sam entered behind her and quietly closed the door, turning the lock.

He spun around to face her, mirroring her stance by folding his arms in front of him. His mouth gaped open slightly and then closed again, as if he had planned on saying something and then decided against it.

Andy didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow, challenging him to be the first to speak.

The air between them was thick with tension. Sam looked down to the ground for a second, gathering his thoughts and perhaps his courage, before looking back up at her and clearing his throat. "So you're moving in with him." It was statement, not a question.

"Yes," she replied. "I am."

"Why?"

It was a simple question, one that shouldn't have caused Andy to have to pause and think, but it did. After a moment she answered, "Because he asked me to." It was the best answer she could give him.

Sam snorted. "If he asked you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too?"

Andy sighed and rolled her eyes at the juvenile retort. "Sam…"

"No Andy, as far as reasons to move in with a person go, that's a pretty terrible one," he told her. "Do you even _want_ to move in with him?"

She looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't have any reason not to."

"That's it?" Sam asked, "You're going to move in with him because you don't have a reason not to?"

When he put it like that it did sound fairly ridiculous. She pursed her lips, irritated that he had so easily been able to make her question what she had been sure of. "Yes."

"Do you love him?" Sam asked, his voice strained.

Andy's eyes flew to meet his. "What?"

"Do you," he repeated slowly, "love him?"

Andy hesitated before admitting, "I care about him."

"So that's a no," he surmised, nodding slowly. "Has he told you that he loves you?"

Andy frowned and shook her head. "No."

"You're moving in with the guy," he scoffed. "That's a pretty big commitment."

"I know it is."

"Don't you think you should at least be in love with each other?"

He was right. Andy remained silent, not having an answer for him. She scuffed at an imaginary mark on the floor with the toe of her shoe, refusing to look at him.

When she didn't answer Sam just shook his head. "Okay, well, this isn't going anywhere. I don't know what you are expecting me to say."

"You were the one that pulled me in here and wanted to talk," Andy reminded him. "So talk."

"That's what I'm trying to do," Sam told her, "But you're not exactly giving me much to work with."

"Isn't this about the time when you should be telling me how great Luke is?" Andy asked, finally looking back up at him. "Pushing me back to him? Telling me why I should move in with him?"

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, that's been your m.o. lately," Andy said bitterly. "I express the tiniest amount of doubt about my relationship with Luke and you start bending over backwards to tell me what a good guy he is and how much he cares about me."

"Do you really think I like saying all that crap about Callaghan?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes. "You think I enjoy patching up your relationship every other week?"

Andy shrugged defiantly. "I don't know, it sure seems like it."

Sam took a step closer to her, "I'm trying to be your _friend _McNally. I thought that was what you wanted."

"What I want," Andy explained, her tone sharp, "is for you to be honest with me for me a change."

"Well I don't enjoy it, not even a little bit," Sam confessed, his voiced raised. "You want me to be honest?"

"Yes," Andy snapped, her volume rising to match his.

"Well, in the spirit _of honesty," _Sam said, "I honestly believe that Callaghan is an insipid moron who clearly doesn't have the first clue about how to handle you."

"Handle me…" Andy all but screeched, her eyes wide with indignation.

"Yes, handle you McNally," Sam repeated, stepping closer to her, invading her personal space. "You're not a walk in the park. In fact, most of the time, you're a pain in the ass."

"Well most of the time you're a grouchy, stubborn bastard," Andy shot back without missing a beat. "But that doesn't explain why you keep pushing me back to him."

Sam threw up his hands. "I guess I was hoping that you could figure it out on your own without me having to break it down for you. Obviously that's not the case."

"Break what down?" Andy asked, irritated, "What are you talking about?"

"That you've built this relationship with Callaghan up in your head into something its supposed to be," Sam answered. "But its not real, Andy. Callaghan is a good guy but he's not who you want him to be."

"And you know what I want?" Andy challenged. "You know me that well?"

"I sure as hell know you better than Callaghan does," Sam said, "But that doesn't matter because you've said it yourself McNally, you're constantly faking it."

Andy sighed. "I was talking about being on the job."

"I don't think it applies just to the job."

"Oh, you don't?" Andy asked, her voiced raised, "What exactly do you think I'm faking?"

Sam exhaled and then smirked, "I'd guess a lot of things, but right now I can think of at least one."

Andy reeled back, a look of shock and disgust on her face at the sexually tinged jab. She set her jaw and proclaimed, "Never once."

"Liar," Sam accused, refusing to back down.

"Coward," Andy snapped back.

"Oh, I'm a coward?" Sam repeated.

"Yes," She all but hissed.

"How am I a coward?" Sam asked, incredulous.

"Because," Andy said, taking a step towards him, "You think you know me, but you forget that I know you too, Sam, and I know it probably kills you every time you say something nice about Luke."

"And?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, "What's your point?"

"Well for some reason you keep doing it," Andy said, "And I think its because you're afraid."

"I am not afraid," Sam scoffed.

"Yes you are!" Andy practically yelled, "You tell me to stop faking it but you're the one that's been faking it this whole time! Pretending like you just wanted to be my friend."

"I _never_ said I wanted to be your friend," Sam protested, "I tried to be because that's what you wanted."

"So you don't want to be friends with me?"

"No!" Sam yelled. When her face fell he quickly recanted, "Yes! I don't know."

"Well thanks for clearing that up," Andy replied, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

They stood in stony silence, their features hard and their eyes flashing with anger.

"Is this a test Andy?" Sam finally asked, frustrated. "Are you testing me? Because I'd really appreciate it if you would just tell me what to say so I can pass it and we can move on."

"It's not that hard of a question, Sam," Andy replied, "What do you want?"

"What do you want, McNally?" He asked, turning the question back around to her.

"See," Andy said, pointing her finger into his chest, "I told you, you are a coward. You can't just expect me to put it all out there when you refuse do the same!"

"You want me to put it all out there?" Sam asked.

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," she cried, exasperated.

Sam stared at her for a split second before muttering, "Fine," and stepping towards her. He circled his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him before crashing his lips down against hers. He felt her hesitate for only a moment before her mouth began moving in response, her hands running down his chest and then around to his back to clutch the material of his shirt.

It wasn't the quick, searing kiss they had shared at the Mermaid Lounge and unlike the night of the blackout, he was the one that was totally in control of it. As if he was pouring out all of the tension and frustration that had built up during the argument, his lips moved greedily against her own in hot, desperate need. His tongue ran along her bottom lip, demanding access, and she opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Sam slowly backed her up, pinning her against the wall behind her, his hand cradled behind her head to cushion the impact. He groaned as she arched against him, her fingers tangling through his hair as she pressed herself closer to him. Andy could hear her pulse pounding in her ears as he consumed her with the kiss. Every other sound in the room was blocked out by the noise and it was just the two of them, wrapped up in each other.

She all but whimpered when he lifted his head away from hers, breaking the kiss. "Sam," she panted, fighting to regain control of her breathing. "What the hell what that?"

"That was me putting it out there," Sam murmured, his voice hoarse. He rested his forehead against hers as he took a deep breath to calm the pounding in his chest. "Do you have any other questions?"

She was thankful her arms were still coiled around his neck, his solid frame steadying her upright and keeping her from crumbling to the ground. She let out a short, stunned laugh before whispering, "No, I think you covered it."

He held her against him for another moment before untangling himself from her and stepping away, putting some much needed distance between them. She slumped against the wall, immediately missing the warmth of his hard body pressed against hers and the feeling of his hands possessively circling her waist.

Sam leaned against the mirrored wall and swiped his hand over his face, sighing loudly before looking over at her. "I'm going to be honest with you McNally."

She nodded slowly, not sure of what was coming. "Okay."

His lips twitched with the tell-tale signs of a small grin. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

"Yeah?" Andy asked, smiling as she moved to lean against the wall next to him.

"Yeah." He admitted. "But I'm not playing games, McNally. Even though I don't like it, you're still with Callaghan."

"Yeah," Andy said quietly, "I am."

"You have to make the choice," Sam told her. "I've put it out there. I want you to be with me, but I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do. It's your turn to make a decision now."

Andy crossed one ankle over the other and looked down at her feet, taking only a moment to think before deciding, "I think I need to talk to Luke."

She didn't have to go into detail about what they were going to talk about. "You sure?" Sam asked, looking at the floor.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. He's out for the day testifying in court," she explained. "I won't see him until later tonight."

"Okay."

"But I can call you afterwards," Andy proposed. "We can talk."

Sam crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded, unable to keep his lips from turning up into a grin. "If that's what you want."

"It is," she assured him with a firm nod.

Sam turned his head to look at her, his eyes twinkling. "I'm sorry I called you a pain in the ass."

Andy laughed softly. "It's okay. I'm sure I can be sometimes."

He grinned, "Don't you want to apologize for calling me a grouchy bastard?"

"A grouchy stubborn bastard," Andy corrected with a smile. "I'm sorry. About the bastard part. You are grouchy and stubborn."

"Okay," he chuckled. "I can handle that."

Andy sighed before pushing herself away from the wall. "We should probably get back to work."

"Yeah, probably. Hey McNally," Sam said, grabbing her arm and she walked in front of him.

She turned back to face him, her eyes wide with question, "Yes?"

"I know you need to talk to Callaghan," he acknowledged, trailing his hand down her arm before lacing his fingers between hers, "And I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for, but do you think…" he trailed off and shrugged.

She knew what he was asking and smiled before leaning in to press her lips against his in a sweet, slow kiss. It wasn't desperate and it wasn't needy, but it was full of promise.

She pulled away and winked at him. "Ready to go back out there?"

"You go first," he said, dropping her hand, "I need a second."

Andy laughed but kept her eyes trained on his. "Okay." She walked to the door and unlocked it before pausing and turning to look at him once more. She smirked as his eyes flew up to meet hers, knowing she had caught him checking her out.

He met her gaze and a small smile spread across his face before he shook his head and flicked his wrist in the direction of the door. "Get on out there McNally, I'll be there in a minute."


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: First, thank you all so much for reviewing! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter up! It was a combination of being busy and just having a difficult time with the content. Luke's a tough character to write! I hope you all enjoy! _

_I promise the next update will come out much faster than this one, with lots of McSwarek goodness :)._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue._

**_Chapter 4: Sinking Ship _**

_Take this sinking boat and point it home_

_We've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice_

_You'll make it now_

After leaving the viewing room Andy made a short trip to the ladies locker room to splash some cold water on her overheated cheeks before returning to her desk. It didn't matter though, because as soon as Sam returned to his desk and glanced over at her, her cheeks reddened again. She knew that he noticed because even though he quickly shifted his eyes back to his computer, his own cheeks sunk in as he tried in vain to suppress a grin.

Noelle looked over at the two of them and, observing that the tense atmosphere that had existed between them when they left had been replaced with an easy peacefulness, just smiled and nodded slightly at Sam before returning to her own work.

Andy had expected the rest of the day to be awkward and uncomfortable but was pleasantly surprised when the opposite was true. She and Sam worked steadily throughout the rest of their shift and despite occasionally stealing heated glances at one another, had managed to maintain an air of friendly professionalism. When their shift was over Sam had bid her goodnight with a casual, "So I'll talk to you later?"

Of course, in a gesture that was not out of the ordinary for him, his hand had been on the small of her back when he had asked and his sheer physical proximity to her had taken all of the innocence out of the question.

"Yeah," she had barely managed to choke out. "I'll call you."

He had nodded sharply and with one final look at her, left to head over to the Penny to meet up with Oliver and Jerry.

Luke had called at some point in the afternoon to tell Andy that after he was done in court he was going to go back to the station to go over some stuff for the next day's testimony. He said he could come over to her apartment after he was done. Andy had sighed and agreed, knowing it was probably going to be a late night.

After she said goodnight to all of her friends Andy decided to just wait at the station for Luke. Maybe she could convince him to leave early or at the very least, take a dinner break. There was always plenty of paperwork for her to busy herself with. She and Sam were usually pretty good about staying on top of things, but with Boyd's undercover operation and everything that had gone down that week, they were still digging themselves out from beneath a mountain of forms and reports.

So Andy took her time showering and changing in the locker room and then settled back down at a desk. She clicked around on the computer, doing some mindless work, but in the end couldn't concentrate enough to do even the simplest of tasks.

She tried to go over the conversation in her head, tried to figure out the best way to bring it up and how to say things honestly without hurting Luke. She knew it was impossible; there was no way she was going to be able to do what she knew she needed to do without hurting him.

That fact made her sad. Despite all of his faults, Luke had been a good boyfriend and she did care about him. When he said that he cared about her she believed him. Luke was a good man and a great detective and she knew that she could have had a good, solid life with him.

But it would have been a lie, on both their parts. Andy knew they had both been making compromises they didn't want to make to stay together and knew that the strain of their differences was beginning to takes its toll.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost missed it when Luke entered the station. He didn't notice her as he purposely strode through the station in the direction of his office. Andy didn't yet move from her seat, but she watched him closely, trying to determine from his body language whether the day in court had been successful or not.

Luke was good in court. Andy had only been able to go watch him a couple of times, but she saw how the jury reacted to him. He was meticulously prepared, well spoken and thoroughly unshakable against a tough defense. He was handsome in the way that made young women want to date him, older women want to trust him and men want to have a drink with him. Every time Andy watched him, she was impressed again with how good he was at his job.

Finally she moved, pushing herself out of her seat and heading towards Luke's office. She entered quietly and coughed to get his attention. "Luke, hey."

"Andy, what are you doing here?" Luke asked, looking up from his desk. "I figured you would have gone home already, isn't your shift over?"

She smiled at him, hoping it would look natural and not forced. "It is, I just thought I'd wait for you," she said, "See how things went."

"It was good," Luke said, nodding with a satisfied smile, "But I could have told you that later. I thought we agreed I'd come by your apartment after I was done here?"

"We did," Andy quickly agreed, stepping further into room.

"Actually," he said, distracted by some of the papers on his desk, "I'm glad you stayed. I don't think I'm going to make it over tonight, I've just got too much to do."

Andy nodded but then realized that if he didn't come over they wouldn't have a chance to talk. "Actually Luke," she said, "There's something I really need to talk to you about."

"Can it wait?" He asked, his eyes already skimming over a file. "I'm up to my elbows in this case," he said apologetically, "I really don't have the time."

Andy hesitated and almost agreed that it could wait until later. Then an image of Sam flashed in her mind, a still of the moment right after he had kissed her that afternoon. His eyes were still dark and swirling, and his lips were quirking into a small, hopeful grin and Andy found herself already looking forward to the next time she got to kiss him.

She knew it wasn't fair to Sam and it definitely wouldn't be fair to Luke to put off the conversation any longer. "Actually, its important," she said, shuffling from one foot to another.

Luke sighed and looked up at her, taking a moment to weigh his options. "How about I drive you home?" He suggested. "We can talk in the car."

"Oh no," Andy said, "That's okay. We can just talk here. I'll walk home." When Luke figured out that she was breaking up with him, he probably wouldn't be too thrilled that she had gotten a ride home out of the deal.

"Don't be ridiculous Andy," Luke countered, slightly condescendingly. "It's pouring outside. You'll catch your death out there."

"It's raining?" Andy asked.

"Yeah," Luke glanced up from his desk. "And thundering and lightening. I haven't seen a storm like this in a long time. You couldn't hear it in here?"

Andy smiled to herself and shook her head slightly. "Red sky in the morning…" She muttered, remembering what Sam had predicted earlier in the day.

"What?" Luke asked, not bothering to look up. "Did you say something?"

Andy shook her head, "Sorry, just talking to myself. No, I didn't hear it."

"Well, it's bad out there. Why don't you take the keys and wait for me out in the car," Luke said, tossing the keys at her. "And I'll be out in just a minute."

"Okay," Andy said, slowly backing out of the room. "I'll meet you out there."

Luke didn't respond so she turned and left the office. She grabbed her bags and then headed to the door, stopping for a moment to watch the storm outside.

Now that Luke had pointed it out she could hear the rain pounding down on the roof and ever so often a flash of lightening would light up the dark sky. Thunder rolled in the distance, only adding to the eeriness of the night.

Andy pushed the door open and sprinted to Luke's car, holding her coat above her head in an attempt to remain at least slightly dry. It had been a futile effort; by the time she made it to the car she was soaked to the bone and her teeth were already chattering from the cold. She turned the car on and blasted the heat before settling back in her seat to wait for Luke.

Twenty minutes later she was still alone, which didn't surprise her. Luke had a habit of getting so caught up in his work that he'd forget all about things like time or the fact that someone might be waiting for him. At first it was a trait that Andy found intriguing about him; his ability to get so engrossed in a project that everything else faded to the background. After time, and after being stood up several times, she no longer found it intriguing.

She was about to go back inside and get him when he finally emerged from the station. He opened the umbrella that he was holding and calmly walked towards the car.

Andy didn't know why, but the action made her skin crawl. It was irrational and unfair; there was no reason she should be irritated with him for being prepared, but she was.

It just seemed to highlight the differences between them even more. Andy- hurried, unprepared, a mess after running through the rain. Luke- calm, prepared for anything, always perfectly groomed.

Andy shook her head and told herself she was being ridiculous.

Luke finally made it to the car and got settled in. He reached over to turn the heat down and commented, "Geez Andy, its like an oven in here."

"Sorry," Andy muttered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Sorry it took me so long," Luke apologized while pulling his car out of the station and heading in the direction of Andy's apartment. He didn't offer any explanation, but he didn't need one.

"That's okay," Andy said, watching in fascination as a bolt of lightening crackled through the sky, briefly illuminating the otherwise dark city.

"So what'd you want to talk about," he asked, cutting to the chase.

Andy sighed. Even though she'd spent a good hour thinking about it, she had been unable to come up with a good way to begin the conversation. She hated what she was about to do, hated that they had gotten to this point.

She realized she hadn't answered when Luke momentarily tore his eyes away from the road and looked over at her. Andy decided to just get it out. "Luke, I can't do this anymore."

Luke didn't look at her, but his jaw clenched and his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "This?" he repeated, his voice strained.

"This. Us. You and me," she clarified unnecessarily but not unkindly.

Luke nodded almost imperceptibly and was silent, absorbing the information.

"I'm sorry," Andy whispered weakly.

"We're supposed to be moving in together," Luke reminded her. "We're buying a house."

"You're buying a house," Andy corrected softly. "I was just going to live there with you."

Luke didn't say anything, which Andy took to mean he knew she was right. "I'm sorry," she tried again.

"What is this about Andy?" Luke asked, his voice rising slightly. "This morning we were fine."

Andy shook her head, "We weren't fine," she argued. "We haven't been fine in a long time. We've been in this holding pattern of… not fine."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We don't make each other happy, Luke." He tried to interrupt her but she continued, "We try and we've been doing our best to make it work but…" she struggled for the words, "I just can't do it anymore. It shouldn't be this hard."

Luke was silent again, so Andy continued, "You deserve someone that is better than me."

Luke cut her off by raising his hand and demanding, "Stop it, Andy, just stop it." He took a deep breath and then continued, "You don't get to make yourself feel better about this by playing it off as though you're somehow doing me a favor."

"That's not…"

Again she was interrupted, "Yes it is Andy. Don't you think I should be the one to decide whether or not I deserve better? Shouldn't I get to be the on that makes that call?"

"You do deserve better than me, Luke," Andy repeated firmly. "And realizing that fact hasn't been easy because I know I haven't been good to you, I haven't been all in."

"Again, isn't that my call to make?"

Andy shook her head, "No. Because I know I can't be the person that you need me to be." She paused. "I don't _want_ to be that person anymore Luke," she told him honestly.

Luke sighed, "I think you're making a mistake Andy."

"Do you even love me Luke?"

"What?"

"Do you love me?" She repeated.

Luke was quiet, unable to answer.

Andy took his silence as a no. "That's okay," Andy told him, "Because I don't love you either."

They arrived at Andy's apartment and Luke pulled into parking spot along the side of the road. He put the car in park and then turned in his seat to look at her. "Is this about Swarek?"

His question caught her off guard, though it really shouldn't have. She didn't respond at first, but her silence was the only confirmation he needed. "It is, isn't it? I _knew_ there was something going on between the two of you."

"There's nothing going on between us," Andy denied, shaking her head.

"But it is about him, isn't it?"

"Partly," Andy answered honestly.

Luke shook his head and exhaled angrily. "I knew it," he muttered.

Andy sat quietly, waiting for him continue.

"Well," Luke said, "I guess that's all I need to know. I obviously don't want to be with you when you want to be with someone else."

"That's not it," Andy tried to deny, shaking her head, "Even if Sam weren't in the picture, you and I just aren't working."

"We aren't working because you're in love with your partner!" Luke exploded.

The outburst startled Andy, but she nodded resolutely, accepting the dig. "And you're in love with your job."

"I don't think I need to apologize for that Andy!"

"I'm not asking you to apologize," Andy asserted. "You're good at your job. I'm just pointing out that we both have things that are keeping us from being totally committed to each other. You know it's true," she finished quietly.

Luke sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I guess that's it."

They sat in silence for a moment, both trying to grasp the fact that their relationship was really over, before Andy spoke, "I'm really sorry Luke." She looked over at him and he met her gaze.

His eyes softened slightly and his shoulders slumped. Andy felt tears she didn't expect well up in her eyes, but she refused to let herself cry in front of him.

"Yeah, well," Luke shrugged. "I've got work to do."

Andy knew it was his way of ending the conversation so she nodded in understanding and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Okay," she whispered. Just as she was about to push the door open, Luke reached over and put a hand on her arm.

He stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Take care of yourself Andy," he said with a soft smile.

Andy turned back to look at him and then leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You too Luke," she replied before pushing her door open and stepping out into the rain.

She dashed to the front of her building, finally allowing the tears that had been threatening to fall mix with the rain that beat against her face. When she made it inside she ran her fingers over her cheeks, not knowing if the water she was wiping away was from her or from the rain.

Andy took a couple of deep breaths and then looked back outside to see the taillights of Luke's car at the end of her road. All of a sudden the adrenaline wore off and the day caught up with her and she was exhausted. She managed to climb up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, one step at a time, and dropped all of her things inside the door as soon as she was able to unlock it and push it open.

She took a moment to lean against the back of her door, close her eyes and just breathe. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but she needed the time to make peace with the break up, if that was even possible, before transitioning to the next part of the night.

The part that she finally allowed herself to look forward to. The part that included Sam.

The thought made her smile. She pushed herself off the door and stripped her wet clothes off during the short trip to her bedroom. As she stood in front of her opened closet, she realized she had no idea what to wear. Should she try to wear something nice? Sam usually saw her in her uniform, so it wouldn't take much to impress him. On the other hand, should she really be trying to impress him this early in their… whatever it was?

They hadn't made specific plans, but Andy knew perfectly well where the evening could lead if they both let it. She sighed, not knowing what was going to happen or even what she wanted to happen.

Ultimately her desire for comfort and warmth won out and she pulled on her favorite pair of sweatpants and a hoodie from the police academy. She looked at herself in the mirror and groaned at the mess the rain had made of her hair. She released it from the messy bun it had been piled into and ran a comb through the tangled waves before deciding to just let it fall to her shoulders and air dry.

When she was finally satisfied that she didn't resemble a drowned rat, Andy slumped down into one of her chairs and picked up her phone, using speed dial to call Sam's number.

It took him several rings to answer but just when she thought she was going to be sent to voicemail, she heard his voice ask, "McNally?"

His usual gruff tone with softened by something she didn't quite recognize. Nervousness, maybe. Possibly a little bit of hope.

"Hey," she said quietly into the phone, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"It's getting late," he observed.

Andy looked over to the clock on her bedside table and squinted to read the bright red lights that informed her it was almost eleven o'clock. "Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay. I was just starting to think that maybe you'd changed your mind." He chuckled softly, softening the accusation and letting her know he was teasing, but she knew that there was some truth behind the statement. Even if he wouldn't admit it, he didn't quite trust her yet not to hurt him.

The realization caused an unexpected pain in her chest.

"No," she assured quickly, "I didn't. It just… well, Luke was late and it just took longer than I expected."

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice quiet and low.

Andy almost rolled her eyes at the fact that he was concerned about whether or not she was okay after breaking up with Luke. It was like he couldn't help himself when it came to her; her needs, her wants, her feelings… they always superseded his own.

Why had it taken her so long to realize that fact?

"Yeah," she answered, stammering slightly, "I mean, it wasn't fun. But I'm okay. It was the right thing to do."

"Oh, okay," Sam said. "Good."

There was an awkward pause, as if they were both waiting for the other to bring up what they both knew was the reason for the call.

"Where are you?" Andy eventually asked.

"I'm standing outside the Penny," Sam told her, "Freezing my ass off."

Andy laughed, "Why are you outside? It's raining."

"I'm under the little awning thing," he said, "It was pretty loud inside."

So that was why it had taken him so long to answer the phone. "Ah," Andy said, feigning enlightenment. After a brief moment of hesitation she asked, "Well why don't you come over and warm up?"

There was a pause on his end and Andy could only assume that he had been caught off guard by the question. Finally he asked, "Are you offering to help me with that?"

She couldn't see him, but she had no doubt that he was smirking and that his dimples were firmly in place.

"Maybe," she tried to flirt back, but her teasing was tempered by the yawn that escaped her lips.

She heard Sam clear his throat, having obviously heard her yawn, "I don't have to come over tonight, Andy. There's no rush."

"No," Andy protested quickly, stifling another yawn, "It's fine, I want you to come over."

"You sure?"

She nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I'm sure. That is… if you're okay to drive."

"I've been sipping club soda all night," Sam admitted, immediately knowing what she was really asking.

"Really?" Andy asked, surprised. Sam wasn't a heavy drinker like some of the other guys in the division, but she knew he usually had a beer or two, or maybe a scotch, after shift.

"There are some things I prefer to be completely sober for, McNally," he told her, his already deep voice an octave lower than usual.

The huskiness of his voice and the clear intention behind the words caused an unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, ache in the pit of her stomach and Andy found herself stuttering out a startled, "Oh…OH," in response.

Sam chuckled at her reaction. "You know, things like important late-night talks, among others."

"Right, of course," Andy agreed, regaining her composure. "Well in that case, come on over."

Andy heard a door slam and the familiar rumble of his truck starting up. "I'm on my way McNally."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: As always, thank you for the reviews! I hope this chapter makes up for the lack of McSwarek in the last one __. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue. _

**Chapter 5: Falling Slowly**

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me_

_And I can't go back_

_Moods that take me and erase me_

_And I'm painted black_

Sam knocked lightly on the door, not wanting to wake the neighbors at the late hour. When no one answered he did it again, a little louder the second time.

Again no one answered, so Sam tried the door. It swung open easily, revealing a darkened room and a sleeping Andy curled uncomfortably in one of her chairs. Sam paused at the doorway and just looked at her, noting the way her hand curled against her cheek as she snored softly and how her socked toes peaked out from beneath her too-long sweat pants.

She looked like the picture of innocence and Sam felt guilty for the thoughts about her that he had allowed to run through his mind on the way over.

Andy moved slightly, unconsciously trying to find a more comfortable position, and a small moan escaped her lips.

Okay, maybe he didn't feel all that guilty.

He stood there, debating his next move. He knew she was tired and probably needed her sleep; hell, he was exhausted. Staying up through the night only three days ago and then working every day since had not given them much time to rest.

And then there was the whole playing the night over and over in his head thing that kept him up even when he was able to lay down. That was incredibly frustrating.

So that was the debate; should he wake her up or let her sleep? The kind thing to do would be to let her sleep. Of course if he let her sleep all night in that chair she was going to be painfully sore the next day.

The decision made, he closed the door and locked it behind him before padding over to her and kneeling down beside her sleeping form. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "McNally," he tried, quietly at first.

She stirred, annoyed by the disruption to her sleep, and mumbled something incoherently before snuggling deeper into the armchair. Sam chuckled and nudged her again, a little harder this time. "Andy," he said, louder, "Wake up."

She swatted at his hand and then her eyes flew open and her gaze darted around the room before settling on his.

Her unfocused eyes were blurry with sleep. "Hey," she said easily. If his presence had startled her she wasn't showing it. She shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear the fog that had settled during her short nap.

"Hey," he responded with a grin, rocking back onto his heels. "Expecting a hot date?" he teased, flicking the strings of her hoodie with his fingers.

Andy laughed and stretched her arms over her head, still caught in that fuzzy place between sleep and reality. "I must have fallen asleep."

"You shouldn't leave your door unlocked," he scolded lightly, "You never know who might walk in."

Andy turned slightly in her chair to face him and cupped his stubbly cheek in her hand. "I guess it worked out well for me this time," she said with a lazy smile.

Sam returned her smile before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against her full lips.

"Mmm…" Andy murmured against his lips, wrapping her hand around to the back of his head. "Hello."

"It's good to know you were so excited about me coming over that you fell asleep in the ten minutes it took me to get here," he teased, kissing her quickly one more before pulling away.

"Don't be offended," Andy said, yawning, "I haven't slept in days. I guess it all caught up with me."

Sam furrowed his brow. "You said this morning that you were fine."

"I wasn't really paying attention to you," she admitted, apologizing, "I had other things on my mind. Sorry."

"What else is new?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes. He began to stand up, "Okay, well, I guess I can go."

"What?" Andy said, grabbing a hold of his arm. "No! Stay. I'm fine." She ran her hand down his arm and laced her fingers between his. "Stay," she implored.

"You sure?" he asked looking quizzically down at her.

If he asked her that one more time, she was certain she was going to scream. "Yes, I'm sure," she said, tugging on his arm so she could stand up. "Besides," she soothed, "I promised to warm you up."

Sam hesitated a moment, as if trying to decide if she was being honest, and then a small grin played on his lips. "That you did."

She grinned and moved nearer to him, standing just close enough that he could feel the heat from her body without actually touching her. She raked her eyes up his frame, starting at his feet and moving slowly up to meet his.

The heat from her gaze was enough to practically set his body on fire, but when she unconsciously bit her bottom lip and whispered, "Take off your clothes," he thought he might actually explode.

He shook his head, "What?" he asked, in a daze.

Andy laughed, the sound breaking the tense intimacy. "Take off your clothes," she repeated easily, moving around him to go to her closet. "They're all wet. I'm sure I've got something that will fit you."

"I was kind of thinking we'd warm up in a different way," Sam said, turning to her and grinning wickedly. "No clothes required."

Andy just rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you were," she replied.

Sam smirked in response and unzipped his jacket, pulling it off as he watched her riffle through her closet. "Andy, it's fine," he said, getting her attention. He picked at his completely dry t-shirt, "I'm dry, promise."

Andy poked her head out of her closet. "Your jeans are soaked," she observed.

Sam sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to deter his partner from her mission. He grinned to himself as he slipped his shoes off and unbuckled his belt, sliding it free from his jeans.

"Ah hah!" Andy exclaimed from the depths of her closet. She emerged, holding up a pair of men's track pants. "Before you ask, I have no idea where they came from."

"You just have random men's clothing lying around?" He asked, bemused.

Andy shrugged and walked back over to him. With her finger hooked in the waistband the pants, she held them out. "You want 'em or not?" She asked, holding them just in front of his chest.

Sam eyed the pants and then looked back at her. She raised an eyebrow at him almost challengingly. "They aren't Luke's," she promised, "if that's what you're worried about."

Sam didn't say anything and in a move that was reminiscent of the first day they met, quickly dropped his jeans to the floor and kicked them off. Instead of looking away as she had done in the locker room, Andy held his gaze, refusing to look down as he grabbed the pants from her and slid them on.

"Better?" She inquired with a smirk.

"Better," he confirmed. "Thank you."

She grinned and picked his jeans up off the floor, adding them to her own pile of wet clothing. "You're welcome. We can wash them in the morning," she said, "The laundry room is downstairs and I really don't feel like making the trip all the way down there."

Sam noticed that she said _in the morning _as if it was a given that he was still going to be there. He let it slide without comment. He looked back at Andy, who had started nervously fidgeting in her spot.

"So…" she wondered with an uneasy smile, "What are we going to do now?"

Sam remained silent and just looked at her, all the teasing gone, his dark eyes clearly communicating what he thought they could do.

At his glance Andy's breath caught in her throat and she stopped moving her hands. She felt her entire body flush as heat pooled in her belly and, as if being drawn by a magnet, her feet began moving her closer to him.

It was downright disconcerting what the man could do to her with a single look.

Just before she made it to him he reached out and circled his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him to close the distance between them. His lips were on hers in an instant, gentle and demanding all at the same time.

She snaked her arms around his neck and allowed herself to be pulled into the kiss. His lips moved across her jawbone and trailed a line of fire down the column of her neck. Andy tilted her head back to give him better access and struggled to remember to do simple things like breathe as his lips worked their magic over the sensitive skin of her collarbone.

Sam ran his hands down her back and fumbled with the hem of her hoodie, clearly frustrated with how cumbersome the bulky material was. He slipped his hands beneath to feel the soft skin of her back and groaned out her name as she ran her tongue over the pounding pulse at the base of his jaw. He began moving them back towards her bed, trailing one hand down over her butt to lift her against him, the other on her back to steady her.

"Wait, Sam," she protested weakly when she realized what he was doing, "Wait." He muttered something against her lips and continued pushing her towards the bed, too wrapped up in the moment to understand what she was saying.

"We can't have sex tonight," Andy blurted out, pushing him away from her.

Sam stumbled backward slightly, caught off guard by the outburst. He blinked rapidly and tried to focus his eyes, taking in her worried expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Andy covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "Nothing," she whispered, and then louder, "Nothing's wrong."

Sam took a deep breath and waited for her to lower her hands before asking, "Okay… so?"

Andy chewed on her bottom lip before replying, "I _just_ broke up with Luke, like, a couple of hours ago."

It was all beginning to make sense. Sam smiled softly and nodded in understanding. "Too fast?" He asked.

Andy nodded miserably, "I can't be that girl."

"What girl?" Sam asked, an eyebrow quirked.

"The girl that breaks up with her boyfriend and then sleeps with someone else the same day."

"Ah," Sam said, sitting down in a chair. He grabbed hold of Andy's wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. She looked up at him and he couldn't help be chuckle at her expression. "You're not worried about what I'll think of you, are you?"

She shook her head, "That's not it. I just…" she fumbled for the words, "I can't, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Andy," he promised, "Really."

"I want us to work," she said, resting her hand against his chest, "I just don't want to rush into anything. I mean… this morning we were just partners and now we're kissing and you're undressing in front of me _again_…" she shook her head.

Sam grinned at her, "Don't act like you didn't enjoy it." He waggled his eyebrows, "Both times."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry," she said, fingering the neckline of his t-shirt. "I know what you were probably expecting coming over here."

"Is that what you think?" Sam asked, slightly offended, "That I came over here expecting to get laid?"

"Honestly," she replied, "I have no idea."

"Well, that wasn't it," he informed her. Then his grinned and amended, "Well, that wasn't _completely _it."

"So you _were_ expecting it?" She accused without conviction.

Sam sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around her, forcing her to curl against his chest. "Expecting something and hoping for something are two very different things McNally," he said, kissing her forehead. "Did I hope something might happen?" He shrugged, "I'm not going to lie, of course I did. But I don't want to do anything you're not ready for, so if that means waiting a little while, that's okay."

"Really?"

He nodded and kissed her again, gently. "Yeah. You were wrong…" he said.

Andy furrowed her brow. "When?"

"When you said that we were just partners this morning," he told her, shaking his head. "You haven't been _just _my partner in a long time."

Andy blinked, not knowing what to say at the revelation, "Oh, Sam…"

"So that means that whatever I need to do to make this work, I'm going to do it," he assured. "If you want to take things slowly, we'll take things slowly."

Andy pulled back to look up at him and felt herself start to tear up at the sincerity in his eyes. "Thank you."

He ran his hand through her damp hair and twirled the ends of it through his fingers. "Of course, McNally. We have plenty of time." They shared a small smile and then Sam yawned exaggeratedly. "Besides," he said gruffly, "I'm tired. I was going to make you do all the work anyway."

She laughed, knowing full well he would have been a very active participant. "No you weren't."

"No," he admitted with a wink. "I wasn't."

Andy just shook her head and leaned against him, tucking her feet between the cushion and the arm of the chair. They stayed like that for a while, tangled together in a chair that definitely was not meant for two grown people to share. Sam ran his hand over her hair and whispered into her ear, making her giggle. It was unusual, but not thoroughly unexpected, this sweet side of Sam.

"So," he said, stretching his arms above his head, "Does not sleeping together involve not _actually_ sleeping together?"

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"We're both exhausted and we have to work in the morning. Let's get some sleep," he said, nodding towards the bed. "Unless you were planning on kicking me out."

Andy smiled shyly, "No, I wasn't planning on it." She hadn't even considered it, actually, which was odd for her.

"Good," Sam said, rising to his feet and bringing her along with him. He started to move towards the bed and felt her hesitate. "I promise Andy," he said, turning to her, "Just sleeping."

She grinned and shook her head, "That's not it."

"Oh?"

"You got to check me out this afternoon," she said, "I was just taking my turn."

Sam smirked and then turned back around, indulging her. "Did you get a good look?"

"Oh yeah," she said, reaching out to pinch his backside. "A very good one."

He grinned as he pulled her towards him and kissed her before leading her over to the bed. "Which side?" He asked, pausing at the foot of the bed.

Andy came up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist, resting her chin against his shoulder. "Well, I usually sleep right in the middle, so either side is fine."

"Right in the middle, huh?" Sam asked. "How did Callaghan deal with that?"

Andy blushed and looked away. "We, uh…" she stammered, "We didn't really do the whole sleeping together thing." At his questioning glance she continued, "I mean, we slept together but we didn't really… sleep together."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You were planning to move in together but you never shared a bed?"

"I didn't say we _never _did," Andy replied, rolling her eyes in frustration. "It just wasn't a common occurrence. I don't want to talk about it," she said, moving to the right side of the bed.

Sam caught her arm. "I'm sorry," he said simply, and she nodded, accepting the apology. "Are you sure you're okay with me staying?"

The side of her mouth curled into a small smile. There he went again, asking if she was sure. "Yeah, I'm sure." She pulled the covers back and then climbed up onto the bed. With a quick glance at him, she tugged her sweatshirt over her head and threw it to the floor, leaving her clad in only a thin camisole and her sweatpants.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide with innocence. "Are you going to join me?" She asked, patting the bed beside her.

Sam rolled his tongue across the front of his teeth, taking a moment to absorb the image of Andy sitting in the middle of her big bed, inviting him to join her. It had been bad enough when the majority of her skin was covered by the bulky hoodie, but now her creamy shoulders were exposed, along with a fair amount of cleavage. He was fairly certain she was trying to kill him.

"Sam?" She called, interrupting his thoughts. "You just going to stand there?"

Sam shook his head and moved over to "his" side of the bed. Following her lead, he stripped out of his t-shirt before getting into the bed.

Andy's eyes roamed over his bare chest before settling on his. "Comfortable?" She asked, her eyebrow quirked.

"Very," he replied, pulling the sheets up over him, "Thanks."

Andy turned the lamp on her bedside table off and then snuggled under the covers, facing him. The room was dark and she could barely make out his features. "Are you going to stay all the way over there?" She asked.

Sam stared at the ceiling and swallowed hard before responding, "I'm trying to be good."

Andy took it upon herself to move closer to him. "Are you afraid that you're going to force me to do something against my will?" She asked in all seriousness.

"No," Sam coughed, looking over at her. "Why would you ask that?"

"We both know you're not going to do anything," Andy said, reaching for him. "So stop trying to be so good and get over here and hold me. And I swear, if you ask me if I'm sure, I'm going to kick you out of this bed."

Sam couldn't help but grin as he pulled Andy towards him, allowing himself to savor the feeling of her body pressed against his. She turned in his arms and scooted even closer to him, her back spooned against his chest.

He pressed a kiss against her shoulder and ran his hand down her arm before tracing his fingers over the sliver of skin that was exposed above the waistline of her pants.

"Sam…" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"You told me to stop being so good," he murmured, slipping his hand beneath her shirt to feel her soft stomach. She didn't argue so he left his hand there, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin of her rib cage as they both fell asleep.

A loud crash of thunder startled Andy awake. She bolted up in bed and looked around, trying to get her bearings. The alarm clock told her that it was still the wee hours of the morning. Running a hand over her face, she sighed and fell back against her pillow, welcoming the warmth of the body behind her. She could feel Sam stir and curl his arm tighter around her, pulling her back against him.

She had just about fallen asleep when the thunder roared again, causing her to jump.

"It's just the storm," Sam said, his voice groggy. "Go back to sleep."

"I'm trying!" Andy whispered back.

Sam just "hmmed…" and nuzzled against her, already falling back asleep.

There was another clap of thunder and then a bright flash of lightening. "How can you sleep through this?" Andy whispered anxiously. "It's so loud!"

"It'd be a lot quieter if you'd stop talking," Sam mumbled.

Andy rolled her eyes tried to go back to sleep, but after a few frustrating minutes gave up. She was wide-awake.

Sam felt her squirming in his arms and sighed, "What is it?"

"I can't sleep." She whispered, admitting, "I hate storms."

"The storm is not going to hurt you Andy," Sam said without opening his eyes.

"Don't you think I know that?" She hissed, "I do, it doesn't help."

Sam was quiet and Andy thought he had fallen back asleep. She shook his forearm. "What?" he grumbled.

"I need you to talk to me," Andy told him.

"Talk to you?" He repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah," she said, "It'll calm me down."

"Don't we talk enough during the day? It's sleep time now."

"Sam, please."

"Fine," he sighed, giving in, "What do you want me to talk about?"

"I don't know," Andy said, pausing to think. "Tell me about the first day we met."

"Weren't you there?" Sam asked, still partially asleep.

"I want to hear it from your perspective," Andy said, turning over so she could face him.

Sam sighed and opened his eyes to see Andy peering at him, her brown eyes lit by the light reflecting in from the street outside.

"Please?" She asked softly. "I can't sleep." She gave him a pathetic pout and wrapped one of her legs around his, snuggling impossibly closer to his body.

Sam groaned and flipped onto his back, pulling her with him so she rested half on his chest and half on the bed. "The things I do for you," he muttered, but Andy could hear the faint trace of amusement in his voice. "Where do you want me to start?"

Andy grinned up at him, resting her chin on his chest. "When you first saw me. What'd you think?"

"Oh shit," Sam answered bluntly.

"Really?" Andy asked, surprised.

"Really," Sam confirmed. "It would have been fine if it was just me, but Pedro complicated things. So when you busted through that door I figured we were screwed."

"You acted so calm," Andy remembered.

"Well, I realized you were a rookie pretty quickly," Sam admitted. "So I knew that helped my chances of getting away. I thought we had, too, until you came around that building pointing your gun at us."

"I was terrified," Andy said.

Sam smiled, lazily running his hand up and down her back. "I know, I could tell."

"You could?"

"Yeah, you had that deer-in-the headlights look," Sam told her. "Don't worry, you don't have it anymore."

"I don't?"

"Nope," he winked at her, "You always look like a badass now. Your training officer must have been really good."

Andy shrugged, "Eh. He was alright."

Sam smirked and then got back to his story. "So, you yelled at us for a little bit and then pushed Pedro against the fence and I decided to take my chances and get away."

"And then I took you down," Andy finished for him.

"You were so proud of yourself." Sam grinned at the memory. "Then you felt me up."

Andy rolled her eyes, "I did not feel you up. I searched you."

"Whatever," Sam scoffed, "You loved every minute of it."

"It was mortifying," Andy corrected, "Especially after I realized who you were."

Sam exhaled loudly, "Well, you were so adorable I just didn't have it in me to take you out."

Andy raised an eyebrow, "Take me out? You think you LET me arrest you?"

"No offense Andy," Sam said, cutting his eyes down to meet hers, "But I very easily could have gotten away from you."

"Oh no, I don't think so," Andy argued, shaking her head. "I had you pinned."

"Andy," Sam tried to reason, "You weigh practically nothing and it was your first day on the job. You don't think I had any training before I went undercover?"

Andy narrowed her eyes at him, not believing what she was hearing. Deciding to prove him wrong, she rolled on top of him and straddled his hips, clasping his hands in hers above his head.

Sam rolled his eyes. "McNally, what are you doing?" He asked patiently as she squirmed around, situating herself on his lap, her knees on either side of waist.

"Go ahead," she challenged, "Get me off."

Sam let out a disbelieving snort and then raised an eyebrow, "I thought we agreed I wasn't going to do that tonight?"

Her brow wrinkled as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "Oh, Sam!" She exclaimed when she got it, "Get me off of YOU," she clarified, releasing one of his hands to swat him on the chest. "You know what I meant."

He took advantage of the fact that she was distracted and slightly off balanced and flipped them over easily, settling in between her legs and pinning her arms next to her head.

"What was that?" He asked, grinning down at her.

She tried to struggle against him, but it was no use. "I wasn't ready," she pouted.

"You've got to be ready at all time McNally," he said, dipping down to kiss her, "Didn't I teach you anything?"

Andy sighed and conceded, "Fine. Whatever. You let me arrest you. Why'd you get so mad at me then?"

"You were the easy one to take it out on," Sam admitted, still hovering above her. "It wasn't really your fault. It was Jerry's."

"Ha!" Andy exclaimed triumphantly, "I knew it. And all this time I thought you blamed me."

Sam shook his head. "No." He bent down to kiss her again, this time running his lips around the curve of her ear. "Can I make it up to you?" he asked, his cool breath sending shivers down her spine.

She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging his lower body close to hers. A small smile of pure feminine delight graced her lips when she heard him moan at the contact.

"McNally," he whispered, he voice suddenly husky, leaning down to kiss her. She felt the mattress dip slightly as he pressed his hips into hers.

The mood changed from playful to maddening without her realizing it. Sam released her hands and she moved them down his abdomen, enjoying the way his muscles clenched beneath her fingers. She could feel him everywhere. His hands were warm against her waist and he dragged his lips across her collarbone, licking and nipping at the skin. "Sam…" she moaned, her lower body arching off of the bed as he moved lower, kissing her through the thin fabric of her camisole.

Andy tangled her fingers through his hair and tugged him back up, fusing her lips against his in a frenzied and hot kiss.

He gasped and tore his lips away, breathing hard. "We've got to stop," he said, rolling off of her.

Just as quickly as it had started, the moment was over.

They lay beside each other, both panting and trying to catch their breath.

"I'm sorry," Sam said, turning to her. "I didn't mean…"

Andy shook her head, immediately feeling the need to reassure him. "It's fine," she promised, "Really."

"I think the storm's over," Sam whispered, dragging her body closer to his. "Do you think you can go back to sleep now?"

"Not likely," Andy admitted, her heart still beating rapidly in her chest.

Sam chuckled. "Want me to tell you another story?"

Andy laughed and scooted back against him, "That'd be great," she said, resting her head on his crooked elbow.

"Okay, " Sam said, yawning. "So I never told you this, but…"

He began telling her the story of how he had orchestrated them working together that second day. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep and he followed quickly behind.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get this out. Hope you haven't given up on the story yet :)! __ Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful and encouraging reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue. _

**Chapter 6: Time that You Won **

_You have suffered enough_

_And warred with yourself_

_It's time that you won_

"Hey, hey," Andy called, softly rapping on the door as she entered. "Can I come in?"

Chris Diaz pushed himself up in the bed and smiled at his visitor. "Hey Andy," he greeted, motioning with his hand, "Yeah, come on in."

Andy moved further into the room. "Where's Gail?"

"Harassing one of the nurses somewhere, probably," he said fondly.

Andy laughed and pulled a chair over to his beside, taking a second to assess her friend's progress. He was still hooked up to an IV, but his eyes were brighter and his skin was pinker than it had been when she visited him last. "You look great," she told him, settling in next to him. "Much more color than a couple of days ago."

"Yeah," Chris nodded, "They had to transfuse two more units of blood, but I'm finally starting to feel better. Want to see the wound?"

"You know buddy, I think I'm good," Andy said, patting his hand that rested above the covers. "Any idea when you're going to be getting out?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully," Chris said tentatively. "I uh, spiked a fever again last night so they might keep me longer."

"That sucks," Andy commiserated, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah," Chris joked, "If anyone ever stabs you make sure they do it with a sterile knife. It'll help keep infection down."

Andy smiled, glad that Chris was able to keep a sense of humor throughout everything. "I'll keep that in mind," she promised. "Are you in much pain?"

Chris shrugged again and shook his head, "They're keeping me pumped full of morphine. It's not too bad."

"That's good." Andy said, wanting to believe him. His ginger movements and occasional flinches were more telling than his response; Andy knew he must be in more pain that he was letting on, but she decided not to push the subject.

"Yeah," he continued, "I'm just really bored now. Ready to get back to work."

"We miss you," Andy said kindly. "Work's not the same without you, but you need the time to rest and recover," she reminded him.

"I know, I know." Chris conceded reluctantly. He paused for a moment and then asked, "So what's been going on, what all have I missed?"

"Um," Andy said, thinking. "Not too much. Boyd's finally finished everything up, thank God. That was such a pain in the ass. I never thought we'd be done with all the paper…"

Chris interrupted her impatiently, "Rumor has it that you and Detective Callaghan broke up."

Andy pursed her lips at the quick change of subject. "And who is supplying you would with these rumors?"

"I can't reveal my sources," Chris said, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"Dov?" Andy guessed, as if it was difficult to deduce who the informant had been.

He grinned sheepishly, "Yes. But Gail might have mentioned something about it, too. Is it true?"

"Yeah," Andy confirmed, knowing there as no reason to lie about it. "It's true."

"You okay?" Chris asked immediately, his face drawn with concern. "That was kind of sudden, I thought you guys were moving in together?"

"Uh, yeah, we were going to, but we're not anymore. And I'm fine, really," Andy said, shifting in her chair uncomfortably. "Are you sure you want to talk about this? Let's talk about you. How are you doing?"

"Please, I am so tired of talking about me. Every other hour a nurse comes in and asks me how I'm doing," Chris explained. "I wanna know what's up."

"What's up with you and Gail?" Andy questioned, turning the conversation back on him.

Chris knew exactly what she was going so he answered easily and without hesitation. "We're back together," he said. "Your turn."

Andy gave an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I have to humor you, since you're laid up in the hospital and all."

"It would be cruel for you to deny an injured man," Chris agreed with a grin.

"Fine," Andy gave in, exhaling loudly for effect. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened?" Chris prodded. "Last I heard you guys were fine."

"Fine is… relative I guess," Andy said, searching for the words. "It just wasn't working out."

"Was there someone else in the picture?" Chris asked with a slight knowing grin.

Andy blushed and shook her head, unable to keep from smiling. "No," she denied lightly, "Not really."

"Not really," Chris repeated, grinning fully now, "But kind of?"

"Maybe," Andy shrugged and then narrowed her eyes. "What do you know?"

"Just that you arrived at work yesterday and today in a large gray truck," Chris told her, "Much like the one that belongs to… Officer Sam Swarek."

"Did Dov have pictures for you too?" Andy asked good-naturedly. She just couldn't bring herself to be upset at the intrusive questions, especially from Chris. He was the closest thing to a brother that she had and she knew there was not a malicious or mean-spirited bone in his body.

"They were sent from a camera phone, so the quality wasn't the best." Chris retorted, his eyes twinkling. Andy's eyes widened almost comically at the thought so Chris decided to set her mind at ease, "I'm joking Andy, there were no pictures."

"I actually believed you for a second," Andy said, leaning back in her chair and laughing along with Chris. When the laughter died down she told him, "It's not what you're probably thinking."

"I'm thinking you finally realized what everyone's known for months now," Chris told her. "Swarek's in love with you."

"Oh, he is not," Andy scoffed, shaking her head slightly.

"Uh, yeah," Chris claimed, "He is." Andy just rolled her eyes until Chris called her name and caught her gaze. "Andy," he said sincerely, "I'm a guy. I know how guys act when they're in love with someone."

Andy tilted her head to the side, considering what Chris had said. "Okay," she admitted after a moment. "So maybe it's exactly what you're thinking."

Chris grinned, "I KNEW it! I'm happy for you Andy, Swarek's a good guy."

"Really?" Andy asked, her brow furrowed. She had always thought Sam was a much better guy than he gave himself credit for, but for some reason she was surprised to hear it from Chris. "I thought you'd be pulling for Luke."

Chris made a face, "_Why?" _

Andy just shrugged, not having an answer for him.

"Well, I'm not," Chris informed her. "I never really liked the idea of you and Homicide Luke."

"And you like the idea of me and Sam?"

"Well, yeah," Chris said. "I don't know… you guys just make sense together. Its just a feeling that I get…"

"In your gut?" Andy supplied.

"Yeah, call it intuition or something," Chris said.

"That's what Sam says," Andy told him, repeating what her training officer had told her many times, "Got to learn to listen to that feeling in your gut."

"What's your gut telling you?"

Andy sighed. "I don't know, Chris," she said honestly. "I guess it's just hard for me to trust it yet, does that make sense?"

Chris nodded. "Do you not trust yourself or do you not trust Swarek?"

"It's not that I don't trust him," Andy said, "I do, I just…" she shook her head. "It's kind of scary, you know? Like something that could be so good isn't really real? Like he's going to wake up one day and realize I'm not really what he wants," she admitted, looking down at her hands. "Not really what he's been waiting for. And he's going to run."

"Andy," Chris said gently, "No offense, but if anyone is going to run, its going to be you."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "No offense," she repeated sarcastically.

"You know its true," Chris claimed earnestly. "Swarek's not going to run. I don't know him very well, but he seems like the type of guy that knows what he wants and when he gets it he's going to do everything he can to hold on to it."

"Kind of like with you and Gail?" Andy asked.

Chris shrugged the shoulder on his good side and nodded. "Kind of like me and Gail. I know people may not understand it, but I love her Andy," he said. "She's special."

"I know," Andy said softly. She ran a hand through her hair and then sighed, admitting, "I think I kind of love Sam."

"You kind of love him or do love him?" Chris asked for clarification.

Andy narrowed her eyes at him, "You're really getting into this girl talk stuff, aren't you?"

"I told you," he said, slightly defensively, "I'm bored. Your love life is better than daytime TV." He paused for a beat and then said sincerely, "And I care about you."

Andy gave him a small half smile. "I don't know, it's too early," she said. "We're taking things slow… I don't want to rush into anything again, especially with him."

"Taking things slow?" Chris asked, not quite believing her.

"Yes," Andy said, her turn to be defensive. At his disbelieving glance she asked, "What?"

"It's just…" Chris hesitated, "Showing up for work together doesn't exactly imply that you're taking things slowly."

"We aren't sleeping together," Andy told him sharply, "If that's what you're asking."

"Hey, it's none of my business," Chris said, holding up his hands in innocence. Then, curious, he asked, "Why _aren't _you?"

"I told you," Andy said, "I don't want to rush into anything." She picked at the blanket on his bed, "I don't want it to be just about _that._"

"So Andy, let me ask you this," Chris wondered aloud, "When you told him you didn't want to sleep with him, what did he do?"

"Nothing," Andy said, shrugging.

"He didn't get pissed, he didn't throw a tantrum, he didn't run away, he didn't did try to talk you into it…" Chris asked, throwing different options out there even though he knew they were ridiculous.

"No, of course not," Andy said, shaking her head. "None of that. He was fine with it. Why?"

"Okay, I'm not saying not to take things slowly," Chris prefaced, "That's a good thing and you shouldn't do anything you feel uncomfortable with. I'm just saying… I don't think he's running. If you want to sleep with him, sleep with him. You've put the man through enough, don't make him jump through one more hurdle just for the heck of it."

"It's not for the heck of it…" Andy defended, "I just want to be sure this time."

"What are you unsure of?" Chris asked.

Andy didn't have an answer for him. "I don't really know." She sighed and looked up at the ceiling before looking back over to Chris. "You're certainly being honest tonight," she said, knowing he was only telling her the truth.

"It's the morphine they're pumping me full of," Chris said, raising the arm that held the IV. "It's like a truth serum. I just say whatever comes into my head. It's really pissing Gail off. Sorry."

Andy laughed, "No, it's okay. I needed to talk it out with someone." She smiled at her friend. "Thank you, Chris."

"You should tell Sam," Chris advised, "Everything you just told me, you should tell him."

"Really?" Andy asked, unsure.

Chris nodded, "If it was Gail… I would want to know."

"Would want to know what?" Gail's voice interrupted their conversation as she walked into his room. "Hi Andy," she said warmly.

"Hey Gail," Andy replied with a genuine smile. She had decided that Chris was good for Gail; he mellowed her out and actually made her pleasant to be around.

"How irresistible you find me," Chris joked as Gail leaned over to kiss his forehead.

"Oh yeah," Gail replied, rolling her eyes at Andy, "Those hospital gowns really do it for me."

Andy laughed and stayed a little while longer to talk with her friends before standing up and announcing she had to go. She hugged both of them goodbye, being extra cautious of the tubes running to and from Chris' body. "Goodnight guys," she said, stepping towards the door. She wagged a finger at them and warned, "Don't get into any trouble."

They both just laughed and wished her goodnight.

As Andy made her way out to the parking lot, she couldn't help but smile. Chris had only reinforced what she had already known about Sam. She fumbled through her purse to find her phone and then punched in the familiar number.

"Hey," Sam answered sharply. Andy could tell he was irritated at something just by his tone.

"What's wrong?" she asked, forgoing the greeting.

"I just spilt the damn lasagna all over the floor," he informed her. "There is tomato sauce and cheese all over my kitchen."

"Aw," Andy said, ignoring the important part of what he said, "You made lasagna?"

"Technically Stouffer's made lasagna," Sam told her, "I just put it in the oven and then promptly spilt it all over the damn floor as I was pulling it out." He sighed, clearly aggravated at the mess he had made. "I'm ordering Chinese. What do you want?"

Andy laughed as she unlocked Sam's truck and climbed in. "Um… chicken and broccoli sounds good. Oh, and an eggroll," she added.

"What kind of rice do you want?"

"Fried," she said, starting the truck up. "No wait, I want white rice."

"Oookay," Sam said slowly and she knew he was writing her request down. "I'll call in just a minute. How's Diaz?"

"He looks good," Andy said, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear as she attempted to maneuver out of the hospital's parking garage. "He thinks he'll get to go home tomorrow."

"That's great," Sam said.

"Yeah, it is," Andy agreed. A car pulled out of a parking spot in front of Andy unexpectedly, causing her to slam on her brakes. "Hey, I'll see you in just a few minutes okay? I'm driving and I kinda need to concentrate."

"Please, please be careful with my truck," Sam begged.

"I will be," she promised, "I've got to go."

"See you in a few," Sam said, hanging up the phone.

"Bye," Andy said, grinning as she ended the call. Grumpy Sam, when he wasn't upset with her, was kind of cute sometimes.

Sam met her at the door when she made it to his house. She suspected it was partly so he could check to make sure his truck was still in one piece, but she didn't have too much time to think about it or be insulted as he wrapped his arm around her waist and practically carried her through the door, kissing her thoroughly.

"Hi," she said when he set her back on her feet. "I'm sorry about the lasagna."

He just shrugged, not looking particularly upset about it anymore. "It's just lasagna. Game's about to start, come on," he said, tugging her through his house and into the living room. He grabbed the remote off the coffee table and then fell back onto the couch, pulling her down with him.

"Who are they playing?" Andy asked, curling her legs up under her and settling in against Sam's side as he turned the TV on.

"The Senators," Sam replied, flipping through the channels until he found the hockey game. "It should be a good game."

Andy hummed in agreement as Sam casually wrapped his arm around her shoulder, resting his hand on the curve of her hip. To be honest, she couldn't care less about the hockey game, but when Sam had suggested they spend the evening holed up together on his couch watching it… well, she could think of worse things.

It had been a week since she and Luke had broken up, a week since Sam had first come over to her apartment. Andy was amazed at how easily they had fallen into the relationship; how comfortable she was around him and he was around her. Maybe it was because they were already friends, already had an emotional relationship, that it just came so naturally to be together.

Their food arrived not long after the game started and they ate their takeout in front of the TV. Sam surprised and impressed Andy with his dexterous chopstick skills. "Bet you didn't think I could do that, did you?" He asked, expertly twirling a strand of Lo Mein.

"You are a man of many talents," Andy granted, smiling as she accepted the bite of food he held out for her.

"You don't even know the half of it McNally," he said with a sly wink.

"That's big talk," Andy said, poking him in the shoulder with her own chopsticks. "You gonna be able to back that up?"

Sam glanced over at her and slowly ran his tongue along his top lip. "Is that an invitation?" He asked, noticing the faint pink that began to color Andy's cheeks.

Andy laughed and shook her head, "You wish."

"Well, I can't deny that," Sam said smoothly, grinning as he stood to take their empty cartons to the kitchen.

Andy sighed as she watched him walk out of the living room. Sam had been completely respectful of her desire to move slowly. He hadn't once pushed her or tried to make her feel bad about it and even though they'd spent the majority of the nights since that first in the same bed, he had been the perfect gentleman.

Andy didn't know if she had expected anything less, but as Sam rejoined her on the sofa she couldn't help but think about what Chris had said. Sam wasn't going anywhere, she knew that. Since leaving the hospital she had been trying to remind herself of her reasons for wanting to wait, but they were becoming less and less convincing.

At some point during the game they repositioned themselves; Sam stretched out from one end of the couch to the other and had pulled her down on top of him so her head was pillowed against his chest. He had one arm crooked behind him to prop himself up and the other was buried beneath the back of her shirt, his fingers drawing lazy patterns over the smooth skin as he watched the game unfold in front of them.

Andy, for her part, had trailed her hand under his shirt, seeking the warmth of his skin. He had flinched at first when her cold fingertips ran over his stomach. "Sorry," she'd whispered, and started to remove her hand, but he caught her wrist and told her it was fine, that he would warm her up. She rested her palm against the flat plain of his abdomen and spread her fingers out, running them through the sparse hair that covered his chest. Occasionally her wandering fingertips would graze against his nipple and she would smile as she felt him tense ever so slightly.

His hand became bolder as the night wore on and he moved it higher up her back and brushed his thumb over the clasp of her bra. When she didn't say anything he did it again and when he met no resistance the second time he deftly unhooked it and pushed the material to her sides. His fingers resumed their exploration of her back, running unimpeded up and down her spine in long, even strokes.

While Sam was able to do all of this and still make comments about game, Andy was fighting a losing battle to concentrate on what was happening on the television. She'd hear Sam mutter something about a terrible call or an idiotic play and would just nod in agreement, having no idea what had just happened. Every once and a while she'd make herself pay attention and would ask a question so that Sam would launch into a detailed explanation.

Sam loved teaching her, Andy had realized, and not in a condescending, _I know more than you, _kind of way. He just like sharing what he knew, whether it was about police work or hockey, and Andy was happy to let him. She did feel slightly guilty though, because while he was was going to great pains to make sure she understood what was going on, she allowed herself to slip back into the oblivion of just enjoying the feel of his hands on her body.

Their need to touch one another, to feel each other's skin, was more out of comfort than anything else, though Andy couldn't deny the underlying frustration that hummed just beneath the surface. She glanced up at Sam and, as though he felt her eyes on him, he looked down and winked at her before shifting his attention back to the television.

Sam was completely oblivious to the internal debate she was having with herself, which she was thankful for. She knew that the decision to move forward in their relationship was completely in her hands. Unless he had just been very good at hiding it, Andy knew it had probably been a while since he had slept with anyone and yet there he was, patiently waiting for her to decide she was ready. The man had to be some kind of saint, Andy decided.

The thing was, she couldn't help but feel like she'd made him wait long enough, like she'd put him through enough.

Andy could imagine what Sam's reaction would be if she told him she wanted to have sex because she felt she somehow owed it to him. She could picture the look that would cross his face and could hear the words that would come out of his mouth, and the volume at which they would come out at, and it wasn't a pleasant image, nor would it lead to the outcome she was hoping for.

It _really_ wasn't that she felt like she owed him anything, but Andy struggled to put exactly what she was feeling into words. She _wanted _to be with him because she wanted him to be with her. She felt like it was something she could give him when he had given her so much.

Andy almost rolled her eyes at how cheesy it sounded even in her own head, but it was true.

She also couldn't help but think back to something Sam had said that first night. "We've got plenty of time," he'd told her. After seeing Chris in the hospital, she knew that wasn't true. She knew that they weren't promised the next day or even the next hour, and that realization caused an ache in her heart. Even though they'd only been together a few short days, the thought of NOT being with Sam made it difficult to breathe.

She was broken out of her thoughts by Sam's groan of frustration. She looked at the television to see that the Maple Leafs had lost, four to three. Sam reluctantly removed his hand from its position on her back to turn the TV off, causing a comfortable silence to fall over them. Normally she could be quick to fill the quiet air, but right then she was content to just lay there, enjoying the moment.

"I can practically hear the wheels turning, McNally," Sam said after a while, smoothing her hair with his free hand. "What's up?"

Andy lifted her head to look at him. She studied him for a moment before smiling softly and saying the first thing that came to her mind. "I thought you were going to die," she told him. "I was sure of it."

She was just as surprised at the words that were coming out of her mouth as he appeared to be. Sam didn't respond to the seemingly out-of-the-blue comment, he just raised an eyebrow and allowed her to continue.

"I was certain that as soon as Landry saw you, he was going to kill you," she said seriously, her voice filled with emotion. "And it was the single scariest moment of my life."

Sam's lips tugged up at the ends, as though he was a little pleased at the admission, at the knowledge that she cared so deeply about him. "I wasn't too thrilled to leave you behind either," he said, stroking her hair in a calming manner. "But we're both okay, mostly because of you."

Andy nodded and ran her hand up his chest, settling it just above his heart so she could feel it's steady beat beneath her fingers. "When I saw Chris in the hospital…" she shook her head, a lump unexpectedly rising in her throat, "I know it makes me a horrible person, but I couldn't help but think of how thankful I was that it wasn't you." She looked down at the end of the confession, refusing to meet Sam's heavy stare, and choked out, "I don't know what I would have done if it had been you."

"Andy, you're not a horrible person," Sam assured, tugging on her arms to get her attention. "I'm fine… we're both fine. I'm not going anywhere."

Andy cracked a small, sad smile and then pushed herself up so she hovered just about Sam. She pressed a light, tentative kiss against his lips before pulling back and whispering, "I don't want to wait anymore."

Sam's eyes widened but then quickly filled with concern. "Andy," he said, "If this is because you're scared about losing me or…"

She shook her head sharply, cutting him off. "That's not it," she promised, dipping down to kiss him again. "I was scared that night… I was scared and I didn't do anything about it. I just let you go without telling you…" she trailed off, sighing at how foolish she had been not to tell her partner then how much he meant to her. "I don't want to make that mistake again."

She leaned back down to kiss him and he started to speak, but she slid her tongue through his partially opened lips, silencing his protests. Eventually she felt his resistance slip away and his hands wrap around her waist, pulling her firmly down on top of him. She fell against him, allowing him to fully support her weight as she ran her hands through his short hair, tilting her head to the side and deepening the kiss.

His kisses slowed as he pulled away once more and framed her face with his warm hands, forcing her to look at him. "Andy, I know, okay," he murmured, his voice husky. "You don't have to prove anything to me. You don't have to do this. We don't have to do this," he said earnestly, though his dark eyes betrayed his need, "We can wait. It's fine, really."

Instead of responding, Andy simply kissed him and angled her hips against his, causing him to suck in a sharp intake of air. "I don't want to wait," she whispered adamantly, "And it doesn't feel like you want to wait either." She pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth before trailing her lips around to the side of his head. "I'm ready," she breathed, lightly nipping at the shell of his ear. She couldn't help but grin as she felt Sam tremble, actually tremble, beneath her.

She moved down his body, stopping briefly to kiss the pounding pulse just below his jawline, before carefully climbing off of him and standing next to the couch. She took a moment to look down at him, noting the way his pupils were dilated and his chest heaved with uneven breaths, before holding her hand out to him.

Sam looked from her hand back up to her face. She met his questioning, almost disbelieving, eyes with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Please," she whispered, sensing his hesitation.

The small word was his undoing. He knew there was no way he could refuse her, not that he really wanted to. He swung his legs off the couch and grasped her hand, pulling her to him and meeting her lips in a frenzied kiss. His hands were all over her body at once, hugging her to him and lifting her into his arms. He ran his hand in one smooth stroke from the curve of her bottom to the back of her knee, hitching her leg around his waist. Andy giggled as her feet left the ground and she helpfully crossed her ankles behind his back.

His strong arms supported her with one hand firmly planted on her backside and the other wrapped around her back, holding her tightly against him. He groaned out her name as she kissed her way down his neck, her fingers clutching at the muscles in his shoulders. He stumbled slightly, blindly maneuvering them to his bedroom, stopping more than once to press her against the nearest wall, unable to take another step without feeling her lips against his.

Andy smiled into his kisses, thankful that all of his reluctance seemed to have melted away. Once when he slammed her against the wall she tugged at his shirt until he obediently balanced her body against the solid surface behind her and raised his arms above his head, allowing her to desperately yank it off of him. She welcomed the warm skin beneath her fingers, sighing in appreciation as she scraped her short nails down his back, feeling him shiver in response.

Eventually they made it to his room and Sam gently dropped her on the bed before stepping away to catch his breath. The short trip there had been frantic and hungry and he needed to take a moment and slow down or the evening would be over before either of them was ready.

Andy seemed to understand what he was doing without him having to tell her. She took a deep breath and then leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows. She watched as Sam studied her, his eyes sweeping down her body before rising to meet hers. "You're beautiful," he whispered, and she felt her body flush with heat at the intensity and emotion behind his words.

She accepted the compliment without a word and pushed herself up, rising to her knees at the edge of the bed. "You're not so bad yourself," she said, reaching out for him. He moved closer, standing just in front of her without actually touching her. Andy smiled and kissed him, slowly, both taking their time and enjoying finally being where they were. It was almost an innocent kiss, one full of promise.

The kiss soon intensified, both needing and wanting more of each other. Sam's hands rested at her waist and his fisted the material of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Andy skimmed her fingers over Sam's stomach and nimbly unbuttoned his jeans before slowly sliding the zipper down. Sam stopped her then and gently pushed her back down to the bed, winking at her as she bit her bottom lip and watched him push his jeans down, kicking them off.

She grinned at him as he climbed up onto the bed, dragging her with him so her head rested on one of the pillows. He rolled her body beneath his and she closed her eyes and savored the feel of his weight against her.

"McNally," Sam whispered, bending down to nuzzle her neck. "Just so you know…"

"Hmmm…" was the only response she could manage as his fingers worked the button on her jeans.

"Next time," he paused as he pulled her jeans off her body, trailing his fingers over her longs legs as he went, "We can skip the hockey game."

Her eyes flew open to meet his. He was smiling down at her, hovering just above her, and she reached up to curl her arm around his neck. "I'll keep that in mind," she said in a voice that was too deep to be her own.

Sam allowed himself to be pulled back down on top of her, careful not to crush her as he braced himself on his elbows. "I know you're probably going to slap me for this," he muttered, his lips just a breath away from hers, "But are you sure?"

Andy wanted to groan and roll her eyes in frustration, but she refrained. Instead she nodded, knowing he needed the reassurance. "I'm sure," she whispered, tangling her fingers through his hair and wrapping her legs around his waist.

It was all the he needed. "Oh, okay," he said, almost subconsciously, sweeping down to claim her lips with his own once again.


End file.
